Interventions to improve safe and effective medicines use by consumers: An overview of systematic reviews (Cochrane Review)

Location

International

This is an update of a 2011 overview of systematic reviews, which synthesises the evidence, irrespective of disease, medicine type, population or setting, on the effectiveness of interventions to improve consumers' medicines use. Collectively, the results suggest that there are many different potential pathways through which consumers' use of medicines could be targeted to improve outcomes. However, no single strategy improved all medicines-use outcomes across all diseases, populations or settings.

Strategies that appear to improve medicines use include self-monitoring and self-management programmes, simplified dosing regimens and directly involving pharmacists in medicines management. Other strategies, such as delayed antibiotic prescriptions, practical management tools (eg. reminders, packaging), education or information combined with other strategies (eg. self-management skills training, counselling), and financial incentives, may also have some positive effects, but their effects are less consistent.